This is a combination of statements from stories and poems I've read, things I've seen, and things I have encountered. As we go about our everyday lives we see and interact with many veterans and may not even realize it because......
You Can't Always Recognize a Vet
Just By Looking
Just By Looking
He is the cop that pulls you over who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carrier didn't run out of fuel.
He is the bar room loudmouth whose behavior is outweighed in the cosmic scales by four hours of unparalleled bravery near the 38th Parallel in Korea.
She is the nurse who fought against futility in Da Nang and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years.
He is the POW who left one person and came back another.
He is the drill instructor who has never been in combat, but has saved countless lives by turning no-accounts into soldiers.
He is the homeless man on the street (along with an estimated 200,000 other veterans on any given night) because he now suffers from alcohol and/or substance abuse after witnessing the road side bomb that killed half of his platoon.
He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.
He is the 22 year old young man who can't get a job because he has "only" carried a gun for the last 3 years.
He is the white-haired guy bagging groceries at the supermarket, aggravatingly slow, who helped liberate a Nazi death camp.
He is the father that missed the birth of his child because he was half way around the world.
He is the patient being cared for on a Psychiatric Unit because the images and thoughts of the war that he fought are literally unbearable.
He is our father, brother, cousin, friend, uncle, daughter, aunt, son, sister, coworker, grandfather, neighbor .... that sacrificed his mental health, his physical health, his holidays, his vacations, his family time, his education, and even his life, for you and for me.
It is on Veterans day and every day that we thank all of you so very much for the sacrifices you have made on our behalf.
We can never repay you but we can definitely thank you. So to you my fellow Veteran....THANK YOU!
(and a specific thank you from our family to Marine Steven LaFerney.)
"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." ~José Narosky
God gives us HOPE when there seems to be none. ~ Your friend, Lib
Libby, This post is really good! All so very true. God Bless all service men and women, past and present.
ReplyDeleteThank you Chrissy.
ReplyDelete